Shades
by blueberrrykisses
Summary: MODERN AU! Ur's death leads Gray to forgive his brother, but that's only the beginning of the long list of demons he still needs to conquer. Will her death be another thing added to the list? Or will a blue-eyed beauty help along the way, as she faces demons of her own.
1. Chintzy Trollop

**Hello readers! I've been keeping up with Fairy Tail for about a year now, and let me just tell you how much I love these two! Anyways, here's my first attempt at a Gruvia fic, and I hope you guys enjoy it! Just know I don't have anyone to proofread it, so I'm sure they're some mistakes in this, but hopefully it's not too terrible**!

 **Chapter 1: Chintzy Trollop**

Gray twisted his lips into an ugly frown, preparing himself for what he was about to do. He had agreed to meet up with his older stepbrother, Lyon, and there wasn't enough booze in the world to prepare him for this encounter.

He shoved both hands into his pockets as he walked into _Fairy Tail_ , one of his favorite bars.

It had several tables available for when they had karaoke night, or for when one just wanted to hang out with a group of friends. The bar was located in the far back along with a couple of pool tables that Gray had actually purchased himself, and given to the owner, Master Makarov, as a gift.

It was a place he was fond of, and appreciated when he was in need of comfort

He made his way towards the bar, and sat on a stool as his eyes glazed over the bounteous amount of liquor bottles that were neatly organized against the shelves. He felt at ease when he quickly recognized the familiar scent of cinnamon, mixed with a faint cigarette scent from when the patrons would occasionally smoke.

Which reminds him…

Gray's fingers trailed through his pockets, trying to locate his own pack of cigarettes, when he was startled with an innocent question.

"Do you see anything you like?"

His dark eyes flickered towards the questioning voice. He expected to see his friend Mirajane, who normally work around this time, but instead was replaced by an unfamiliar, blue-hair beauty.

Gray raised an eyebrow. "That's a loaded question," he answered, his lips curling into a semi-smirk.

She released a small chuckle. "Fair enough. Let Juvia rephrase that: What can Juvia get you to drink?" she inquired in a sugary tone.

Hearing her speak in third-person raised his other eyebrow, and made his smirk shift into a rare smile. "Just a scotch on the rocks," but as quickly as the smile appeared, it just as quickly disappeared.

The girl he assumed named Juvia, nodded, turning away to search for the wanted scotch.

Gray took a moment to study the unfamiliar bluenette. The first thing that caught his attention were her eyes. They were a distinctive, beautiful shade of blue that reminded him of a midnight's blue sky during a cool, winter's breeze. Her milky skin was pale like fine porcelain, and he let himself wonder if it was as soft as it seemed.

"Okay, here it is!" she said to herself, though loud enough to break Gray's reverie. "Oh wait…this is whiskey."

"That's fine, I'll take whiskey," he told her, trying to make things easier for her. "You new?"

A small blush graced her cheeks. "Did Juvia make herself seem that obvious?" she asked sheepishly.

Gray found himself chuckling. "Well that, and I normally see Mira or Cana bartending. I didn't expect a new face," he explained to her.

"Mirajane-san isn't working as much anymore. Juvia isn't sure if you've heard, but she's opening up a boutique with her sister. _Love and Lace_ , I believe it is called," she settled his drink in front of him.

"I think she might have mentioned it."

Mirajane was once a renowned model who held the title of "Miss Fiore", but went into early retirement after the disappearance of her younger sister, Lisanna. Thankfully, Lisanna was found, and the two sisters had been inseparable ever since. It was Lisanna who gave Mirajane the idea of opening a boutique together.

"Cana-san should be here soon," she told him with a smile.

Gray blinked. He didn't want her to get the wrong impression.

"Cana, Mira, and I go way back," he blurted out, unsure why he felt the need to explain this to her. "In fact, we all have the same group of friends."

"Juvia is beginning to see that," she tilted her head, placing a finger over her lips. He must have given her a confused look because she then said, "Juvia met Cana-san through, Lucy-san…In fact, Lucy-san is the reason why Juvia has this job."

"You know Lucy?"

She nodded, "Juvia took French with Lucy-san, and has even tutored her."

Gray frowned, finding it strange that he had not met her beforehand. "So you attend Magnolia University?"

"Yes, Juvia gradates this spring semester. Do you go there?"

"I did. I actually just graduated last May."

"Oi Juvia!" yelled another costumer.

Juvia gave him an apologetic smile. "I'll be right back."

Gray watched her walk to the other side of the bar, noticing her attire was pretty modest. She donned a fitting, dark-blue, sweater dress that was accompanied with black tights and dark brown thigh boots. Her boots seemed to accent her long legs that traveled nicely all the way to her-

But Gray's thoughts were interrupted as a white napkin blurred his vision.

"Want a napkin for that drool?"

His face scrunched up into a scowl as he whipped his head around to find that his friend Cana, had just arrived, wearing a smug smirk on her face.

"You're the worst, you know that?" he told her contemptuously, feeling his cheeks rise in embarrassment.

The brunette placed a hand over her chest. "Oh, you wound me, Gray!" she tittered mockingly. She laughed more openly when he threw her a dirty look. "What's up? Did I kill your boner or something?"

Gray scoffed, muttering a _screw you_ in her direction. Fucking Cana. Where did he even begin with her? He had a lot of chick friends to say the least, but Cana was different. She was pretty laid-back for the most part, but was known to be crude with a loud mouth, and insatiable for booze. In his eyes, she was just one penis short from being a dude.

Flustered, he gazed down and was extremely grateful when he spotted his forgotten whiskey that Juvia had given him.

"She's a sweet girl, I like her," she told him, taking a quick glance towards Juvia's direction. "She's friends with Lucy," She took off her signature blue purse, and placed it away in one of the bottom shelves of the bar counter.

"Yeah, she mentioned it."

Her ears perked up. "Oh yeah? You guys talked?"

"Well this whiskey didn't pour itself, _Cana_."

"Cute. But don't play dumb with me, _Gray_."

He groaned as he propped his elbow onto the counter, pinching the bridge of his nose. When opportunity came knocking, Cana always seized the chance to set him up with any cute girl she'd managed to befriend. Not that he didn't appreciate it, after all, he was a man with needs, but he wasn't looking for anything serious. Not after his last ex.

"Can you not? I know where this is going, and I'm not in the mood for it."

She rolled her eyes as she pulled a wine bottle from the wine cellar, and began to open it.

"But you don't even-"

"I don't care. I'm not interested, and the answer is no."

She flashed him a wicked smile. "Oh yeah, then why do you keep looking over there? I know it's definitely not because of the guy she's talking too."

"Will ya knock it off, Cana!" Gray barked, and even though he didn't exactly shout at her, his voice held enough venom to make her slightly flinch.

For a second, he thought she was going to yell back, but didn't. Instead, she pressed the rim of her wine bottle to her lips, and gave it a good chug.

She then paused to take a deep breath, and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

"I know being a dick is second nature to you, but why are you being more of a dick than usual?"

Gray finished what was left of his golden drink, as his dark eyes began to brew with a hatred malice.

"I'm meeting Lyon today," he told her bitterly as he stared down at his empty glass, holding it with both hands.

Cana's brows shot up in the air as she stopped mid-way from drinking her wine.

"Oh," she gawped, coming to the realization on why he was so peeved. "Well, that explains your vexing mood. I'm guessing you're still pretty salty that he slept with your ex."

Gray threw her a scathing glare.

Since their early teens, the two stepbrothers had shared an unspoken rivalry, much to their older stepsister, Ultear, amusement. From who could boast about getting better grades in school, to who could gain the most trophies in sports. The competition had been fairly amiable. However, in the past few years, the build up had became painfully strained, and it wasn't long before their silent quarrel had turned into a bitter clash.

Things only took a turn for the worse, when Lyon had drunkingly slept with Gray's then, ex-girlfriend.

"Oh, don't look at me that way," the brunette retorted, crossing both arms over her chest. "I understand he broke the rules of _bro-code_ or whatever, but you have to admit it wasn't entirely all his fault. _She_ slept with him too, knowing quite well about the consequences that came with it. Besides… didn't all this happened when you two were broken up?"

"Why are you trying to piss me off?"

"Because you managed to forgive her, but not Lyon."

"Jeez, I didn't think you cared about him so much. And for the record, I didn't forgive either of them."

Cana narrowed her violet eyes. "I care about you, you idiot. And we both know that, that girl didn't mean shit to you. You're just finding an excuse to not talk to Lyon because of your bruised ego."

Gray said nothing as his eyes gazed straight over towards the mirrors that were hidden behind the bottles of liquor. He took a glimpse of his own reflection as he let her words sink in his brain. It didn't register to him that he could have possibly held a grudge for Lyon because of their stupid rivalry, _and not_ because of his physical actions with his ex.

Cana sighed and refilled his glass with generous amount of whiskey.

"Look, whether that girl meant anything to you or not, what he did wasn't right either. What if it _was_ someone you cared about? But you can't hold on to that fear, or whatever it is that you're feeling," she told him, taking another swing from her bottle. "You need to learn to forgive him. You can't always live in a world in black and white, it'll emotionally drain you and eventually kill you."

His gaze fell on her as he lifted his right brow.

"When in the hell did you become so wise?"

"Drinking, and watching you idiots fight all the time," she grinned. She then told him she'd be right back after helping out another costumer.

Gray's pursed his lips into a hard line, knowing that there was surprisingly some truth to all of Cana's reasoning. He didn't realize he was a black and white thinker, but he supposed it made some sort of sense. But how could an answer just be "kinda right" or "kinda wrong"? It left him to ponder whether he should question his own actions, and that kind of thinking led to self-reflection, and how the hell could he do _that_ , when he couldn't even be comfortable with his own feelings.

But he should try…for this mother's sake.

He finished the rest of his whiskey with ease, savoring the stinging aftertaste that lingered on his taste buds.

Cana joined his side once more.

"Well, don't overthink about what I just said. Besides…you've been through a lot lately…" her voice trailed off.

And by that, she meant the death of his mother.

Gray threw her a sharp look. "Don't even start. You've already turned this into a therapy session."

"Good! I hope you reimburse me, by paying for this bottle of merlot. It isn't going to pay for itself, ya know?" she grinned, shaking the bottle over towards his direction.

"It didn't drink itself away, either."

"Yeah? Well, when dealing with asshole Gray, you gotta drink."

"You find any excuses to drink."

Cana ignored him. "On a serious note though, _just let go_. Let go, and move on with your life."

His expression soured. "I swear, if you don't stop talking, I'm going to walk right outta here."

She rolled her eyes, taking another heavy swing from her bottle.

"Fine, just stop being so melodramatic," she snorted, dropping the subject at matter, knowing quite well the conversation was over with. "Let's take a shot, and hope that it'll lax your crabby mood."

Gray was about to decline her offer, when he saw her turn and shout towards Juvia's direction.

"OI JUVIA!"

Gray released an annoyed huff as he rubbed his eyes tiredly, mentally preparing himself for the impact. He wasn't as stupid as Cana deemed him to be. He'd known her long enough to know when she was up to no good, and by the wicked gleam in her eyes, he knew he was in trouble.

He watched Juvia give her goodbyes to the guy she was talking to, and feels himself automatically straighten his posture as she walked over towards them.

"Hello Cana-san," she smiles sweetly at her, then acknowledges him with another smile.

Cana, who had the fridge open, pulls out three cold shot glasses.

"How many times do I have to tell you, it's just _Cana_ ," she nudges Juvia on her shoulder with her own. "You met Gray, right?"

Gray scoffed internally, trying to remain nonchalant. ' _Very subtle, Cana'_. "We already met, but haven't introduced ourselves," he said, and somehow the annoyance that was brewing inside his chest, begins to subdue. "I'm Gray," he faced Juvia, extending a hand out.

"Juvia," she gave him a shy smile, taking his hand. He immediately noted that her skin was indeed as soft as he imagined, if not smoother. "Nice to meet you, Gray-sama."

He knitted his eyebrows together at the honorific, but was distracted when Cana shoved a shot in his hand.

"Okay, here you go!" Cana exclaimed, handing Juvia her shot. "Hope you like tequila!"

"Um, Juvia isn't sure…" she answered hesitantly, eyeing her drink skeptically. "Are Cana, and Juvia even allowed to drink?"

"Course we are! Just as long as we pay for our drinks, which by the way, our good friend Gray has already offered," she claimed, throwing him a wink.

"Oh, Juvia doesn't mean to be a bother."

"You're no bother at all, right Gray?"

Gray clenched his jaw, feeling his eye twitch. _I'm going to kill this woman._ "Can we go ahead and get on with it?" raising his glass up in the air.

"Okay! To you, Juvia," Cana exclaimed, making her blush in the process. "To new friends!"

The trio clinked their glasses together, and guzzled down the pungent drink.

Gray swigged his drink with ease, and smiled amusingly when he saw Juvia's face twist into a rancid expression.

She places a hand on her chest. "That was _awful_ , Juvia rarely drinks," she croaked, as Cana patted her on the back.

"You did great! Care for one more?"

Juvia shook her head furiously. "No! One more, and Juvia will start singing karaoke!"

"We have a karaoke machine."

Juvia laughed as she grabbed her navy trench coat, putting it on. "Perhaps another time. Juvia has to get going. Juvia thinks she actually found an apartment that's not too far from here _and_ school," she said, excitingly.

"That's great! Call me, and let me know how it goes, and we can help you move out!" Cana tells her, and Gray is pretty sure he somehow got volunteered into helping out too.

"Thank you! Juvia will let you know," giving her a hug in the processes. She then turns to face Gray. "It was very nice meeting you, Gray-sama," she smiles at him, and leaves when he replies with a faint smile.

Once Juvia got out within earshot, Cana gave him a light shove on the shoulder. "Aww, _Gray-sama_! Is that a blush I see?" she mocks him with a roguish smile.

"Just shut your mouth," he muttered furiously, wishing he had another tequila shot in his hands. "Seriously, who is this chick?"

"Just another person, who is also trying to move on with her life."

"Did she also get cheated on?"

"Mhh… a little bit worse than that."

"Oh, so now you're playing coy?"

"Thought you weren't interested."

Gray threw her a glare. It was just like Cana to play mind games with him. "I'm not," he argued, or at least that's what he thought.

She no longer said anything on the matter and began to help out other costumers, leaving Gray alone to ponder with his own thoughts. Stupid Cana, and her fucking mind games. He pursed his lips as he suddenly felt himself become more intrigued by the bluenette than he would care to admit.

Gray's thoughts were interrupted when he felt someone sit besides him, knowing quite well who it was.

"Hello, baby brother."

Gray turned to face him, and his mouth couldn't help but curl into an ugly sneer. His silver hair, which had a hint of blue hue in it, was still styled the same way. However, he saw that his cheeks were a bit more hallow than usual, and that he had noticeable darker bags under his stormy eyes.

"You look like shit."

"So do you."

Lyon was probably right. After all, it had only been a month after their mother's death, and to say that Gray had been fine, would have been a downright lie.

Gray narrowed his onyx orbs, but said nothing as he placed both arms over the bar counter, hoping Cana would hurry up with a refill.

"It's been too long," Lyon told him, trying to make painful small talk.

Gray held back a scoff. "Has it?"

The corner of Lyon's lips molded into a smirk. "Still broody, I see."

"And you still look like an asshole."

Cana's timing couldn't have been better. "Oh look, it's the man of the hour," she stated, giving him a small smile. "What are you having?"

"Hello, Cana," he said, giving her a warm smile. "I'll have a scotch neat, if you please."

Gray felt a sense of nostalgia suddenly strike him. He had forgot the reason why he liked scotch to begin with. It was a drink his brother had introduced to him to, and when they weren't fighting over frivolous matters, they would visit scotch distilleries together.

Within seconds Cana brought him his drink, and refilled Gray's. "Play nice boys, and try not to wreck the place," she gave them both a winked, and walked off.

"It may not appear like it, but I really do appreciate you meeting me. I didn't actually think that you would," he confessed, taking a sip of his drink.

"You can thank Ur."

"I-I wish I could."

The way his voice trembled, made Gray's chest wash over with guilt. Even though Fairy Tail was beginning to fill up with rowdy costumers, the bar itself felt unbearably silent.

Lyon went ahead and continued.

"I know a single apology will never atone for the actions that I've done, but please believe me when I say that I regret what I did that day," he told him, and Gray could hear the sincerity and remorse in his voice. "That was the day, I finally decided to tell Sherry that I was in love with her, that I was willing to give us a try, only to find out she had already moved on. I got drunk and desperate…I didn't realize the grave mistake I had made until I woke up that morning."

Gray look straight ahead as he bit the inside of his cheek, and took a swing of his drink.

"Everyone I knew was either angry, or disappointed in me. You, Ultear…Ur. I couldn't tell what felt worse: the guilt I had for you, or Ur's disappointment," he stared down at the counter as his finger subconsciously traced some scratches that were left on the counter.

"I had a rough couple of months. I almost didn't graduate last December, but both Ultear and Ur _literally_ slapped some since into me. When I did graduate, Ur hired me to work with the family company, though part of me thinks it was just to keep an eye on me," he gives a slight scoff.

Gray rolled his eyes, and snorted. "Don't be stupid, we both know she wouldn't do that. She hired you because she knew you were good."

Lyon seemed pleasantly surprised with his outburst. "I'll take that as a compliment," he said with a small grin.

Lyon's face became more somber, as he finally took a sip of his own drink. "Well then, as you know, Ur's health began to deteriorate. I was surprise when she appointed me as one of board members along with Ultear. Then, not too long after that…" but he couldn't finish his sentence, as his dark eyes began to water. He then chugged the rest of his drink, and Gray joined him.

About nine months after their feud, Ur had given them the dreadful news that she was diagnosed with bone cancer, which unfortunately was spreading quick. Despite going to the best known doctors in the world, Ur eventually lost her right leg, and allowed her daughter, Ultear, to take over her company. Not long after that, Ur passed away.

"I didn't see you at the funeral," Gray finally said, his eyes staring questionably at Lyon's.

"I didn't feel like I deserved to be there."

He felt his stomach drop, as the taste of bile formed in the back of his throat. Yeah, he was pissed off at his brother, but he should have been there. However, Lyon had purposely missed the funeral for his _sake_ , over something so trivial.

"She wasn't just my mom, Lyon. Ur was your mom too. She was _our_ mother."

He released a deep sighed. "I know. I did visit her grave after you all left, so no need to feel guilty, Gray," he told him, giving him a bleak smile. "I saw her right before she passed, as well. She kept asking me if we had put our differences aside, and when I gave her my answer, she would slap me in the back of the head, and call me an idiot."

Gray shared a chuckled with him. "She did the exact same thing, quoting ' _you know better, than to let some chintzy trollop get between the two of you'_ , he told him, with a genuine smile on his face. "She also said if we didn't make up after she died, she was going to come haunt my dreams which is why we're here today."

After sharing another open laugh, the paired stayed silent.

Gray took a deep breath for what he was about to say. "Look, I'm sorry Lyon. I shouldn't have overreacted the way that I did… we were already broken up. You did not have miss Ur's funeral for it," and he saw the guilt, that began to form in Lyon's eyes. "I'm sorry about that as well, and I just hope we can put this behind us."

Lyon paused for a moment, but Gray could see his eyes that were once dull, shine bright as his lips turned into a broad smile. "I agree, and perhaps we could seal this with a hug?"

Gray blanched, immediately scooting away. "No way, I'm not ready for that."

"Oh come on Gray, give your big brother a hug."

"I swear, I will chuck this glass over your head!"

"Aw, look who made up," cooed Cana as she came over to refill their drinks. "Keep playing nice boys."

The two stayed the rest of the evening drinking, and reminiscing of much simpler times. Times with their mother playfully scowling them, and their biggest worry was their older sister beating them up for ruining her things while they were amidst of fighting.

"Okay, we already toasted for Ur," Lyon slightly slurred, after having his fifth shot. "Last shot, what do we toast for?"

Gray shrugged, feeling just as buzzed. "I don't know... We've pretty much done everything we could think of. How about to not letting any _chintzy trollops_ come between us?"

Lyon snorted, but agreed nonetheless. "Okay, no more chintzy trollops," he stated, clinking his glass with Gray's.

They both drank to that promise, not knowing how soon it would be before they would break it once again.

A/N: Love it? Hate it? Drop a review and let me know!

P.S I'm also looking for a beta, let me know if anyone is interested.

-blueberrrykisses.


	2. Life Choices Aren't All Easy

Hey there! Thanks to those who took the time to read my first chapter! Keep in mind that I don't gave a beta, so you might see some errors in this chapter as well! I kept trying to look for some, but after working on this for four straight days, well everything just looks the same. Lol! Many sorries in advance though.

Dedicating this next chapter to _juuvi09, , Kiwi Cx, Quinn, and Guest_. Thank you for the lovely reviews. They absolutely mean the world to me. Hope you enjoy this chapter.

 **UPDATE 01/02/17: Hello there! So I did delete the second chapter of this story and replacing it with this one. I didn't like the way Juvia was introduced and it was really bothering me. It took me awhile to update because I was trying to figure out the outline for the whole story. Anyways, I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Life Choices Aren't All Easy**

From a young age, Juvia Lockser had been well acquainted with heartache, and misfortune.

The death of her parents had been her first harsh encounter with reality, and as life would have it, it didn't stop there. The aftermath of the tragedy had led her to be timid with an air of melancholy that followed her every step. Her odd demeanor was quickly observed by her peers which led to months of relentless teasing, until Juvia was forced to be homeschooled.

The next few years became fairly more stable for her. Her paternal uncle, Nicholas Lockser, had adopted her and promised to care for her as his own. Nicholas kept true to his promise, despite having a busy work life. He helped Juvia cope with her grief, and prevented her from becoming bitter and hateful. He had given his niece a glimmer of hope, after being dragged down by tragedy, and heartbreak.

Unfortunately, that shred of hope slowly diminished after his untimely death, right before Juvia's nineteenth birthday. His loss released unnerving memories that flooded back to her like a broken water dam. She was left once again to deal with death. Her only consolation was that she had her best friend, Gajeel, with her.

However, as much as Juvia cherished her best friend, who was basically like her brother, it wasn't enough. She wanted- _no_ , she _needed_ , someone who could not only _understand_ her, but also find it somewhere in their heart to love the broken mess that she became.

And then she met Bora.

Juvia foolishly believed that Bora would take away that pain, but she was sorely mistaken. He waltzed into her life and wrecked her like a tornado, leaving a disarray of chaos behind without a second thought.

She was still learning to pick of the mess he broke and left behind. It had taken awhile for her to gain control of her life, but somehow with Gajeel and Lucy's help, everyday had become slightly less painful and easier to pull on through. Bora had taken so much for her already, and she would be damn if she allowed him to pry away at her happiness as well.

So it wasn't hard for Juvia to quickly spot someone who looked like they suffered from life's tragic misfortunes, which is why she found herself slightly intrigued by Gray Fullbuster.

Juvia wouldn't deny that she also found him to be extremely good-looking. His messy raven hair gave him a _just-rolled-out-of-bed_ look that he managed to pull off quite nicely. His hooded stormy eyes possessed an enigmatic tranquility that sucked her right in, arousing her curiosity. He had a strong jawline, and thin pink lips that seem to be stuck in a permanent line.

But despite his seemingly cool façade, there was a slight betrayal in his eyes. One who wasn't familiar with such grief would fail to notice it, but for someone like Juvia, who has walked with misery since the frail age of seven, could quickly recognize a certain sadness that was repressed by years of suffering.

 _What have you suffered through, Gray-sama?_

Juvia's lips twitched into a thin smile, shaking those thoughts from her mind. The last thing she needed was to fall for someone she'd just met. Besides, she needed to focus on finding an apartment before she was kicked out into the streets.

She released a slow sigh as she leaned her back against the wooden bar counter with a newspaper in her hands. It was a slow Saturday morning at Fairy Tail, and Juvia had seized the opportunity to browse at apartment listings.

"Watcha got there?"

Juvia turned around and found Cana greeting her with a curious stare.

"Hello, Cana-san," she gave her a warm smile. "Juvia is just looking at the apartment listings."

Juvia wasn't surprised when Cana made her way over behind the bar, taking a bottle of wine, before returning back to the other side, plopping herself down on a bar stool.

"I thought you already found a place."

Juvia grabbed her a glass from the wine rack. "It was given to someone else," she said wistfully, setting the glass in front of Cana, in which she just waves off.

"Aw, that's a bummer," she tells her, before taking a swing of her wine. "Have you tried looking into Fairy Hills?"

Juvia tilted her head with knitted eyebrows. "Eh? Fairy Hills?" she rested both arms on the counter in front of Cana.

"Yeah, they're the apartments that are literally above this place."

Fairy Tail was located on one of the busiest districts in Magnolia, known as Tenrou Island. Tenrou Island was composed of many shops, restaurant, and apartment complexes that was only a few miles away from Magnolia University.

"Juvia did give it a thought… but she just assumed that they were overly priced."

"Nah, the noise levels from this place and the bars nearby drive all the tenants away, so rent is a pretty decent price," Cana explained. "But the noise level isn't so bad, I actually live up there."

Juvia's face lit up into a hopeful expression. "Oooh! Does Cana-san know if they have any apartments available?" she squealed, clapping both hands together.

Cana released a small chuckle. "Well, I think we could actually be neighbors. The people living across from me just moved out about a week, or so ago," she informed her. "Stop by tomorrow, and I'll put in a good word for ya. I know the landlady."

Juvia released another squeal as she reached over the counter, and tackled Cana with a hug.

"Ooooh thank you so much, Cana-san! You don't know how much this means to Juvia!"

"Of course, don't sweat it," she huffed through Juvia's bone-crushing hug. "Just don't make me spill my wine!"

"Do I get to see a make-out session next, ladies?"

Both girls untangled themselves, and looked up to see a handsome, orange-haired man, eying both of them with an impish smirk etched on his face.

Cana rolled her pretty violet eyes, before taking a swing at her bottle. "In your dreams, you dirty pervert."

The man completely ignored Cana as he walked closer towards them, resting his hazel eyes on Juvia.

"Hello beautiful, I don't think we've met because I could assure you that I would remember a pretty face like yours," he voiced in a smooth, honey-like voice, leaning an arm against the counter.

Juvia felt all her blood rush to her face as she nervously crossed her arms over her chest, thankful she was on the other side of the bar. "J-Juvia thanks you," she replied, unsure of what else to say.

Cana wore a disgruntled look, emitting a light scoff.

"Wow, Loki. Do women just desperately throw themselves at you, to the point where you don't care anymore?" she told him with a raised eyebrow, curling her lip disparaging. "Because that was the shittiest pickup line I've ever heard in my life."

The man named Loki tilted his head over Cana's direction with a cocky grin. "You jealous, Cana?"

"Of your dirty dick? Not at all," she snorted amusingly, and Juvia couldn't help but blush with Cana's lewd comments. "Juvia, this is my pervy friend, Loki. Be careful, he doesn't always know how to keep it in his pants."

"Please don't give any attention to the horrible lies this woman makes up of me."

"They're not lies if they're true," Cana retorted. "What are you doing here? Don't you have cheap floozies to entertain?"

"And by that, do you mean yourself?" he gestured a hand over in her direction.

"Hey! I'm not _cheap_!"

"Right, my bad. Just floozy, then."

"I prefer the term, _woman who likes to keep her options opened._ "

Juvia's mouth twitched into a humorous smile as she watched the two exchange insults. It was obvious that there was some sort of tension between the two.

"Yeah? Maybe a little _too_ opened."

Cana was not at all amused by his comment.

"Listen, you filthy hypocrite! That suit you're wearing looks expensive. Don't make me spill my good wine on you," she barked at him, slamming a hand on the counter. "Now, what the _hell_ do you want?"

Loki roared openly in laughter as he stood behind Cana, giving her a tight hug from behind, that she was trying to wiggle herself out of. "Man, I love getting a rise out of you," he calmed down as he wiped a tear from his eye, while she proceeded by telling him to go to hell.

"Can you believe this is him on a good day?" Cana told Juvia with a barely suppressed eye roll. "And to think that he's one of Lucy's close friend."

The statement shocked Juvia, making her frown slightly. Juvia had known Lucy for quite some time, yet somehow she never brought up Loki, but then again, Lucy never brought of Gray-sama, either.

"That's because Lucy finds me irresistible." And even Juvia had to scoff to that boastful comment.

"See? Even Juvia sees through your shit," Cana pointed her wine bottle at Juvia. Cana then grabbed the unused wine glass, and pours some in. "Here Juvia, even _you_ look like you need a drink after meeting this idiot."

Loki looks over at Juvia and gives her a charming smile.

"I'm not always like this, I swear. Scout's Honor," he raised his right hand.

"Who are you kidding? Your bullshit honor died along with your virginity."

Loki had the nerve to blush as he straightened his posture and scratched the back of his head. It would seem that Cana finally hit a chord.

"Fine, Fine. You win, Cana," he tells her, looking slightly peeved. "Have you seen, Gray? I went to his place earlier, and he wasn't there. I was hoping I'd find him here."

The mention of Gray made Juvia's ears perk up as she began to nervously tug on her blue, wavy locks.

Cana shrugged both shoulders lazily.

"You know Loki, there's a thing called a cellphone, where you can send text messages and make phone calls."

"Yeah, I think I've heard of them. Thanks, Cana," he scowled her. "I've tried both, and no answer."

"Maybe that's a hint."

Loki mouth came together into a hard line as he shoved his hands in his pockets. It was the first time that Juvia had seen him act so seriously.

"I haven't spoken to him since…well since his mother's funeral. I just want to make sure he's okay."

That comment made Juvia's face twist into a look of concern. She would have to ask Cana about that later.

Cana's face hardened for a quick moment before saying, "You know Gray better than anyone. He just needs his space. I wouldn't worry about it too much." Cana takes a sip of her wine. "I saw him a couple of days ago. I know he's going to Mira's thing next Saturday. Did she invite you?"

And just like that, Loki's cocky demeanor came bouncing back.

"Course she did. Mira likes me."

"Not to burst your bubble, but Mira likes everybody."

"Yeah, that's not what I tell myself at night." By then, Juvia had to admit that Cana's wine did come in handy after all.

Juvia chugged her wine in one gulp as she hears Cana give Loki a hard shove.

"I'm officially done with you! I can't have you scaring Juvia off, and I'm still waaaay too sober to deal with you," she glowered at him. "Bye!"

Loki dissolved into laughter once again. "Alright then," he said, scuffing up Cana's hair. He then glanced at Juvia with flirty smile. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Juvia. Hopefully, I'll see you at the party."

Juvia gives him a faint smile. "Likewise," she replied, somewhat truthfully.

He gives them both a wink before heading out.

Cana finished her the rest of wine in one swing. "I swear, the rest of the gang isn't as deranged as he is."

"Loki-san was…interesting, to say the least."

"Ha! Interesting? You are way too sweet, Juvia."

The corner of Juvia's mouth lifted into a smile. She then leaned forward, closer to Cana. "So, it might not be Juvia's business, but she couldn't help but notice…"

"The sexual tension between Loki and I?" Cana smirked. "It's not…but I'll tell ya anyways," she adds lightheartedly.

"A couple years ago, Loki and I were about to hook up at one of Lucy's parties," she explained "And I was suppose to meet him in an empty bedroom…but by the time I got there, the pig was already half-naked with some other random chick."

Juvia made a face that made Cana chuckle.

"It's okay, I'm over it," she waves a hand off. "I don't care, but what ticks me off is that he's a hypocrite, but I guess he's just pissed off that I never gave him another shot."

Something in Juvia's stomach churned uncomfortably. "And Loki-san is Gray-sama's friend?" she couldn't help but wonder.

Cana paused to look at her with a puzzled stare. "Aww, sweetie. What if I told you they were best friends?" she asked resting her elbows on the counter. "Why? Does _Gray-sama_ spark your interest?"

Juvia's eyes widen wildly as she felt her entire body braze with embarrassment.

"C-Cana-san!"

"What? Don't think I didn't notice how smitten you were the day you met him," she said, and the devilish glint that appeared in her eyes made Juvia fidget uncomfortably.

"Juvia doesn't know what Cana-san means," she mumbled, lowering her gaze away from Cana's.

"It's okay, sugar plum. Let's face it… Gray's hot," Cana stated with a careless shrug. "You don't have to deny it."

"Juvia has nothing to deny."

Cana emitted a sigh as she placed a hand over Juvia's forearm.

"Even though you have nothing to deny…I'm just letting you know that despite being best buds, or whatever, Gray isn't like Loki," she reassured her. "You know that…you met Gray."

Juvia chewed on the corner of her lip as she rubbed the side of her arm.

"Cana-san it's fine, Juvia doesn't have room for a relationship, especially after all that has happened."

Cana reached over and grabbed Juvia's hand, quickly seizing her attention. "Look, what your despicable, jackass ex-boyfriend did to you was horrible, but don't let that stop you from being happy," she told her. "Just get to know that guy."

Juvia nodded slowly as she pursed her lips in a line. Cana left Juvia with a lot of pending questions, and she found herself thinking about the handsome raven-haired man, more than she would have liked to.

But who knows. Maybe after all these years of heartbreak, Juvia would finally have a different outcome.

* * *

Sleepless nights were becoming a usual occurrence for Gray, and it didn't look like the habit was leaving him anytime soon.

Ever since Ur's death, sleep had been hard to come by and if by some miracle he did managed to attain it, it would only stick for around for a couple of hours before it was chased away by his unsettling subconscious.

A defeated sigh escaped his lips as he turned to his side, and saw that his alarm clock on his nightstand flashed him _3:51_ in bold red lighting.

He slowly sat up from his bed and pinched the bridge of his nose out of frustration. Over the last few weeks, he had desperately tried many things to help fall asleep. From buying new pillows, to trying different sleeping positions, but none of them worked. So he sought out for a more ' _quick-fix_ ' approach, and ditched his pillows for bottles.

However, he painfully discovered that booze was more trouble than it was worth. Vodka certainly proved it by gifting him a full-fledged hangover the next day, and _no sleep_. Tequila made him snore, which meant he was sleeping but with _no actual rest_ , and according to all his friends, turned him into an insufferable, snarky asshole. Now whiskey on the other hand did seem to help, until he realized he needed half a bottle of booze to get a goodnight's sleep.

And Lord knows they didn't need another _Cana_ among their group.

So his best friend Loki, suggested a different proposal (more like _coerced_ him out of his apartment, and into a club). Women.

Not only did he get laid with an incredible goodnight's rest, but it drew his attention away from all the chaos he had been enduring the last several months. None of those women ever asked him if he was coping well that day, nor did they pester him with unending questions that he _, himself_ , didn't even have the answers to.

But most importantly, none of them ever mentioned his dead step-mother. His step-mother who kept consuming his every thought, and gnawed into his every emotion that he could not openly express.

And Gray was more eternally grateful for those waking moments of distraction, than any goodnight's rest.

So he allowed these women to walk into his life, and as fast as they would appear they would just as quickly disappear, without giving them a second thought. He convinced himself it was better that way. With relationships came commitment, and commitment would eventually lead into a sense of familiarity, which will undoubtedly stir up some serious feelings.

And there was no way in _hell_ he could tackled that kind of mess.

So he foolishly let sex not only numb his feelings away, but the rest of him as well.

Up until now.

He thought he was making the right choice when he decided to venture out on these one-night stands, but he was sadly mistaken. He believed he could feel something other than pain without getting too personally involved, but in reality he was just trying to fill up an empty void from inside him by tricking it with pseudo emotions. Though unbeknownst to him, his body knew better and wasn't easily fooled. It could quickly identity from what was genuine, to what was utter bullshit, which was why he probably felt so shitty.

Gray crossed his arms over his bare chest, his lips puckering into a sour expression as he stared at the silver-haired woman that was fast asleep in his bed. He'd hope he would have knocked out by now and awakened to an empty bed, but it didn't seem like luck was on his side today.

With an annoyed grunt, he stood up from his bed and was about to go out for a smoke, when he felt his phone besides him vibrate.

He frowned when he saw it was from Ultear, and quickly put his sweatpants on and walked out of his room, and into a hall that led to the living room.

"Ultear?"

" _Hey there, baby brother."_

Even though Gray knew she couldn't see him, he still threw her a dirty glare. "I swear, you and Lyon…"

Ultear's voice broke into a rich laugh, which subsided Gray's annoyance. He hadn't heard Ultear's laugh since Ur's diagnoses.

" _Sorry Gray, don't you know that the youngest luck out?"_

He rolled his eyes, and threw himself on his leather couch. "You've got 5 seconds before I hang up on you," he grunted through his phone.

" _I know you're used to talking to Lyon in that manner, but don't you dare threaten me, boy!"_

He emitted a wry chuckle. "Congrats, that came out very Ur-like," he told her.

" _Thanks, I'll take that as a compliment,"_ she shared a laugh with him.

"Do you know what time it is?"

" _Around 4-ish? I don't know, I'm actually in a business trip in London."_

Gray snorted as he felt his remote control besides him. "Lucky you," he retorted, turning on his TV in low volume.

Ultear uttered a miffed scoff. " _Don't even pout. I invited you well over 3 weeks ago, but I never heard back from you."_

"Yeah, that's because I thought you were trying to trick me to come see you," he told her in a tartly tone. "That, or thought it was some sort of ploy to get me, you, and Lyon in the same room together."

Ultear gave him and unladylike snort with a hint of scorn in it. _"Don't be an idiot. If I really wanted to come see you, I'd find a way to hunt you down in a heartbeat_ ," she snapped. _"And for you and Lyon…there's no way I was going to get involved in that. You two are the most stubborn people that I know, and all I would have gain from that mess would have been a killer migraine_."

"Point taken," he agreed, after running that thought through his head. "So what's up?"

" _Well speaking of Lyon, I heard that my two little brothers managed to make up_."

"Seriously? Is this why you called?"

" _Yes, and no,"_ she told him, and her teasing tone switched over to a more somber one. _"Look, this isn't a conversation I wanted to have over the phone, especially at 4 in the morning on your end, but I need to know if you're going to work for mom's company."_

Gray furrowed his brow, his expression turning grim. "Ultear, I thought we've gone through this."

" _We have, but that was right after Ur's death. I just wanted to make sure that your decision wasn't based on your clouded emotions."_

He knew she wasn't trying to throw a jab at him, but he couldn't help but get defensive. "I stand on what I said that day. Why are you trying so hard to push this on me?" he snarled, feeling the grip on his phone tighten.

" _Honestly? I'm little worried about you Gray. The internship you were working for keeps blowing up my phone, asking if you're ever going to come back. Lyon told me you looked rather rough-"_

"Are you fucking serious? Is that why he came to visit me? To rat me out to you?" he seethed as he stood up from his couch, feeling his blood roaring through every cell in his body.

" _No he didn't, and I suggest you take your tone down a notch,_ " it wasn't a suggestion, it was an order. She paused, almost if she was trying to calm herself down, then said, " _He's concerned about you."_

"Well I'm doing just fine," he snapped irately as he made his way outside to his balcony, despite the chilling mid-January temperatures. He let the cooling air calm his fuming anger.

" _That's a load of crap and you know it."_

"Like you said…we're all coping." Gray could hear her sigh on the other end.

" _You know, when I met you, you were a very difficult child."_ His left eye couldn't help but twitch sporadically at the comment, but let her continue. _"Ur knew that from the start, but was determined to turn this troubled boy, into the strong man that you are today. Don't you_ _ **dare**_ _and revert back, and forget what she taught you."_

"You give me too much credit."

" _No, you don't give yourself enough credit."_

Gray remained silent, unsure of what to say. "Thanks, Ultear."

" _I won't push you to come work with Lyon and I, but you can't fall apart on us Gray. Ur wouldn't want you suffering like this because of her. I think about her everyday, but apart of me is glad that she's gone, and that she's no longer suffering the way she was."_

Even thought he didn't want to admit it, a part of him knew that she was right.

" _Anyways, I also wanted to tell you that Ur knew you a lot more than you probably gave her credit for."_

"What do you mean?"

" _She knew you wouldn't want to be part of her company, so she left you a letter. I don't know the contents of it, but I'll have it mailed to you soon."_

Gray couldn't help but give in into a bitter-sweet smile.

"Okay, thanks."

" _Before I hang up… can I just ask you why you haven't returned back to your internship? They raved about you, and it seemed like you really had a bright future there."_

Gray paused, the question throwing him off guard. "I'm not entirely sure… but I think it's because I overworked myself and spent every moment there when mom was sick," he started off slowly. "Moments that I should have spent with her, instead of me trying to forget about what was going on…I just can't go back, the guilt is too overbearing. I'd feel like it'd be an insult to her memory."

" _It would also be an insult not to go back."_

"You're not changing my mind."

Ultear didn't push him any further, and they continued to talk about other less serious matters, and after a few minutes they reached their goodbyes.

" _Alright then, I'll let you go. Please try to get some rest, and don't sulk around all day. And don't frown, I can hear you frowning. I'll let you know when I'm back, and the three of us can go grab lunch. It's been awhile."_

"Sure thing."

He hung up and released a heavy sigh, feeling more at ease. He rested his bare arms against the railing of the glass balcony, taking a moment to look out into the horizon as the auburn hue kiss the midnight blue sky.

Ultear was right, he had to try. He would try for _her_. The only problem was, where did he even begin?

* * *

Gray began by finding another internship to work for.

With hardly any sleep, he got dressed and grabbed his briefcase, and headed out to a local café that was only a few blocks away from his apartment building.

Civil engineering was something Gray was interesting in doing since he was a kid. With all the effort put into creating bridges and buildings from scratch, one could almost see it as art. At least he did. Coincidently, Ur's company revolved around rebuilding projects, but Gray didn't want to run a company, he wanted to be involve in the actual involvement of these projects.

He pressed his lips into a hard line as he skimmed through his resume, when he was interrupted by a soft voice.

"Hey there, Gray-sama."

Gray looked up from his laptop, and was pleasantly surprised when he saw the familiar bluenette he had met just last week, greeting him with a warm smile.

"Oh hey, Juvia. What's up?"

"Juvia was just grabbing a drink with Lucy before heading to class," she explained, her head turning back towards Lucy's direction, who was ordering her own drink at the register.

"That's right, you two know each other."

She nodded. "Yes, and Juvia is thankful for that. Lucy has helped Juvia so much…," this time, she gave him smile that didn't reach her eyes and Gray had a feeling that she wasn't referring to school.

Gray's lips curled into a questioning frown at the statement and waited for her to continue, but an explanation never came.

"Yup, Lucy is always there for a friend in need…So you said you were graduating soon, what's your major?" he questioned, trying to change the topic. "I don't think I got to ask."

"Umm…Juvia is a French Major," she bit down on her lower lip.

"French?" he quirked an eyebrow. "That's interesting."

"Quite silly actually, but back then…" she trailed off as her blue eyes shifted hesitantly to the side. "It doesn't matter. Juvia should have chosen a more practical major."

"Nonsense! You should hear her accent, it's perfect! Makes me so jealous," Lucy boasted as she walked up and joined the pair.

Juvia's cheeks turned into a rosy hue. "Juvia has had _a lot_ of practice, and been speaking French since she was a child," she explained, fiddling with one of the buttons on her navy blue trench coat.

Gray smirked. "Is that so? Maybe Juvia could teach me a thing or two in French," he said unable to stop himself, but regretted nothing when he saw Juvia blush into a darker shade of red.

That small interaction did not go unnoticed by Lucy.

Juvia tried to cover her cheeks with her hands as Lucy laughed at her reaction.

"Sorry Gray, but she's my tutor. Find your own." She pulled Juvia towards her in a side hug.

" **Have an order for a Dirty Chai Latte!"**

Juvia did not hesitate to to grab her drink. "Juvia will be right back."

"So, where have you been hiding this one?" he questioned, his eyes unintentionally following Juvia's trail.

Lucy raised a blonde brow. "I haven't," she told him simply. "Not on purpose anyways."

He gave her a look.

"I'm serious! I only knew of Juvia and her family because the Lockser' had a good deal of money invested with my dad's company," she explained him, taking the empty seat in front of him. "I vaguely remember meeting them for the first time as a kid at some fancy dinner party that my dad threw around Christmas time…

She then furrowed her brows as she pondered at the memory. "You know what? No, I _clearly_ remember now because I can recall on how excited I was to finally have someone my age to play with. We were even suppose to have playdates but then…"

"But what?"

Lucy expression grew somber as she fixed her gaze towards her lap.

"Her parents died in an accident a few weeks after that."

Gray felt his stomach convulsed into a nasty churn as he focused his attention on Juvia, who was giving the barista a sweet smile, thanking her for her drink. At that very moment, his perspective on her completely changed with this new given piece of information. He silently sympathized with her, having _himself_ experience the horrid, unexplainable feeling of losing both parents.

Someone who looked so sweet shouldn't know that kind pain.

"She lost both of them?"

Lucy nodded. "My dad told me that her uncle was her only remaining family left, so he adopted her and they moved to Oak Town. Over the years we talked on and off. She even came to one of the parties I use to throw back in the day, but after that night I never saw her again until we both coincidently had the same French class."

"I see," was all Gray said as he tore his gaze away from Juvia and back to Lucy, who met him with a keen stare.

His expression quickly contorted into one that showed indifference, despite feeling something stir up inside him. Whether it had to do with Juvia's hauntingly beautiful features, or the fact that they both share and unfortunate, tragic past, the more he seemed to discover about her, the more intrigued he was to find out more.

Lucy leaned over and slowly closed his laptop shut, seizing his full attention.

"Gray, I love you as my brother, but don't try to charm your way around her to get what you want," she spoke in a low voice with a stern warning, and the way her honey brown eyes shifted into a darker shade told him that she was serious.

He threw her a dirty look as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I know I can be an ass, but I not _that_ huge of ass to where I would take advantage of someone," he retorted scornfully, feeling slightly offended by what she was implying. "Besides, I'm not interested. Too innocent-looking, if you ask me." Though he wasn't sure if he was trying to convince himself or Lucy at that point.

Her expression softened. "Look, Juvia has been through enough. She doesn't need any more pain."

"Look, I came to work on my resume. How the hell does that turn into a lecture about a girl I barely met?" he threw her annoyed look.

Lucy leaned back to her seat with her arms crossed and was about to retort, but Juvia beat her to it.

"Sorry Juvia took so long, she was waiting for your drink," she announced brightly, and failed to noticed that her arrival almost caused Lucy to fall out of her chair, and Gray to experience a nasty whiplash.

"They accidently forgot Lucy's order. Vanilla Latte, right?" Juvia inquired as she gave Lucy drink, in which she nodded replied with a _thank you_.

Lucy then cleared her throat and stood up from her seating, pushing her chair in. "Well, we should get going. It's getting late and we don't want to miss class," she said, and Juvia agreed. "Are you going to Mira's thing next weekend?" she asked Gray.

Oh that's right. Master Makarov was closing off the bar and throwing a congratulation party/ going away party for Mirajane, who had finally opened her new boutique that was just across the street from Fairy Tail.

"Most likely, the whole gang will probably be there," he told her as he rubbed his neck from the whiplash.

"Okay, then I'll talk you then," Lucy gave him and look, and somehow Gray knew that their conversation wasn't over.

"It was nice seeing you again, Gray-sama," Juvia told him with a bright smile. "Juvia hopes to see you around."

Gray threw her a grin. "I'll see ya," he waved at her.

And somehow, despite the lack of sleep, Gray couldn't help but feel more awake.

* * *

 **A/N: Lol! I have no idea what made me add Loki to this…he randomly popped in my head and I thought I'd have some fun with it. No Gajeel in this chapter but he'll be introduced soon enough, and don't we just love Cana playing match-maker!?**

 **I wrote the beginning of the chapter like twice before posting it. I tried to have this chapter up along with chapter 3 but I'm back in school, and I have a chem test to study for this weekend. So it probably wont be posted til next week.**


	3. Run (I'm A Natural Disaster)

**Dedicating this chapter to my Spotify playlist for inspiring me to write out this chapter! Thank you those who review, alerted, and favored me! Again, this isn't proof-read, so excuse any mistakes you see. Enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Run (I'm A Nature Disaster)**

When Gray Fullbuster first walked into Fairy Tail that evening, he was painfully reminded on why he wasn't such a huge fan of parties. He didn't exactly hate them…after two, or three drinks in, and if he was in a pleasant mood, he usually found himself have a great time.

However, at this very moment, he was _completely_ sober, and his mood only seemed to be getting worse by the second. It also didn't help that Mirajane appeared to have invited all of Fiore, _and then some._

Gray twisted his mouth into a sideways frown as he tried to make his way through the vast crowd of people, who were just idly standing in the middle of the bar, blocking the pathway to the actual bar area. He's never recalled Fairy Tail being so obnoxiously packed, and after having to unpleasantly squeeze his way through, he grew even more pissed, noticing the lack of empty bar stools at the bar.

He let a heavy sigh expel from his chest as he turned back over to the crowd, in hopes of locating any of this friends. Unfortunately, the only person he seemed to have spotted was Loki, who was off in a corner with a pretty girl, having fun of his own.

Gray rolled his eyes, looking away. At least someone was enjoying themselves.

His eyes inspected the hall once more, and when he failed to track down any of his friends, his eyes rested on the doorway. It felt tempting to just leave, and surely Mira wouldn't mind if he left a little early, right?

Without giving it a second thought, Gray was about to make his escape when he heard his name being shouted from across the bar.

"OI, GRAY! DON'T YOU DARE LEAVE, I SEE YOU!"

So. Fucking. Close.

He slowly closed his eyes with a clenched jaw, knowing quite well who the screeching voice belonged to. He turned around and found Cana at the end of the bar, standing halfway on top of her stool with a hand up in the air.

"Out of all people, I just _had_ to be spotted by you," he told her in a grumpy tone, holding a barely repressed scowl. "Why aren't you passed out already?"

He didn't fail to notice the silver flask that Cana was holding in her left hand.

"You underestimate my drinking abilities, Gray," she gave him a toothy smile as she sat back down on her stool. "Now, you weren't thinking of leaving, were ya?"

"No, I wasn't _thinking_ , I was _going_ _to_ , until you hollered at me from across the room," he crossed his arms over his chest, wearing a reproachful frown.

Cana rolled her violet eyes as she took a sip from her flask. "Oh don't exaggerate, I hollered from across the _bar._ "

Yup, that was Cana. Always focusing on the wrong thing.

Gray rubbed his face tiredly. "Whatever, I need a drink," he stated, slightly pushing Cana out of the way so he could order himself a whiskey.

"Good luck on that. You'll be waiting forever since Kinana doesn't usually work busy nights, this is only Laki's second shift," she eyed him amusingly.

He backed away and gave her an incredulous look. "Seriously? Can't you just go back there, and make me something?"

"I would, but I was specifically told not to go back there tonight."

"Jeez, I wonder why," he rolled his eyes. If he couldn't get a drink at a party he didn't want to be at, he sure as hell wasn't staying. "Fine. In that case, I'm outta here."

Cana made an impatient noise as she quickly grabbed him by the hem of his black shirt.

"Quit pouting!" she scowled him. "I told Kinana to get us a round when you got here, and I'm sure she spotted you already."

Cana then tugged on her blue purse, and opened it. "Meanwhile, lucky for you, I always come prepared," she pulled another silver flask from her bag.

He knitted his eyebrows together as he took the flask, giving her an inquisitive look. "You always stockpile these in there?"

"Do you want it, or not?"

Perhaps it wasn't a good time to lecture Cana on her drinking habits.

He didn't think twice as he twisted the top open, taking a long gulp. His taste buds recognized the biting aftertaste of whiskey.

"Thanks," he told her, and she gave him a light hum in response. A couple of stools became available, and he pulled one out, sitting next to her. "So, mind telling me who the _hell_ are all these people?"

She shrugged both shoulders, giving him a dubious stare.

"Beats me. Mira's pretty damn popular, she was once _Miss Fiore_ , remember?" she pointed out, sipping lightly on her flask. "I'm guessing these are people she used to work with because I could have sworn I saw a very drunk, Jenny Realight, puking in the restroom..."

"Where's the rest of the gang?"

"I think Lucy and Natsu are off dancing, or at least that's what they said," Cana gave him a suggestive smirked, making him immediately blanch. "Levy said she had a bunch of homework to still finish up so she left early, and as for Erza…"

Cana twirled her stool around, setting her violet eyes over towards the pool tables.

"She got challenged to a game of pool by some creep that was hitting on her," she explained to him. "And you know Erza, never backing down from a challenge."

Gray snorted into his flask. "Poor bastard. Someone should have warned him about her."

"If he wins, she has to go on a date with him."

They both fixed their gaze over at the pool table, which at that very moment, Erza took the opportunity to strike her ball. Unfortunately for the challenger, it went flying off the table, and straight into his lower regions.

"Doubt he'll want to take her on a date now," Gray winced inwardly as Cana double over with laughter.

"Serves him right for being a perv."

Gray gave out a light scoff as he took another swing of his whiskey, as the two fell into comfortable silence. It wasn't like he didn't enjoy his friend's company; he just wasn't in the mood to deal with so many people.

"You could at least pretend like you want to be here, Gray," Cana drawled, lazily resting her elbow on the counter. "You wouldn't want Juvia to see you all grumpy now, would ya?"

"She's here?" he inquired, but soon regretted, when she threw him a sly grin.

"Yup, and last I saw her…" Cana's eyes gazed over not too far from where Erza was playing pool. "She was talking to Mira."

Gray's eyes followed her trail and sure enough, he spotted Juvia, chatting animatedly with Mirajane. He took a moment to drink her in, noticing that she looked rather nice with her long-sleeved, choker dress that was accompanied by her signature high-knee boots.

"Just go over there and talk to her," Cana told him, breaking him from his trace. "It's obvious that you want to."

Gray looked over at her, and gave her a hard stare. "Don't start."

"Start what?"

"You know exactly _what_ ," his face turned into a sour expression, but Cana ignored him as Kinana arrived with three drinks in her hand.

"Here you go Cana! Sorry about the wait," she gave her an apologetic smile, before looking over to acknowledge him. "Hey there, Gray! I'd love to chat, but I'm kinda slammed."

"It's okay, thanks, Kinana!" Cana yelled as Kinana rushed away to other patrons.

Cana then turned over to face him, wearing a roguish smile that Gray _knew_ meant no good.

"Here," she slid a blue drink over at him. "Juvia's been drinking these all night. Go take it to her."

Gray's dark eyes narrowed, throwing her a withering look. Somehow, something in him _knew_ she had all of this planned from the start.

"Cana-"

"Oh come on! Just do it!"

Gray leaned his back on his stool, crossing his arms over his chest. "Why are you so harped on setting me up with her?" his eyes wandered off over in Juvia's direction.

She emitted an exasperated huff. "Because she's _nice_ …and because you're a lot less grumpy when you get laid," she explained sipping on drink Kinana brought her. " _Yeah_ , don't think I don't notice."

A nasty part of Gray wanted to shove Cana off her stool.

He felt his whole body flush in embarrassment as his face scrunched up into a disgruntled glare.

" _Go to hell_ ," he barked at her, giving her a shove with his elbow. "What kind of shitty friend are you? Does she look like the girl who's into one-night stands?"

Cana paused for a moment, taking a quick glance at Juvia. "Yeah, that might of came out all wrong," she says with a small frown on her face. "But who cares? From what I see, she likes you, and you like her."

He was about to protest but was interrupted when she placed a hand up. "Don't deny it. You've been stealing glances from Juvia, the moment I pointed her out to you."

Gray remained silent as his eyes wandered over towards the bluenette, who looked to have laughed at something Mira had just said.

" _Fine._ Yes, she's very attractive, _but_ I don't know her."

"Yeah? Well now is a good time to start," she tells him excitingly. She grabbed Juvia's drink and thrust it over to him, almost spilling the contents.

Gray's mouth curled into a growl, shoving the drink back at her. "Cana, _no_ ," he hissed at her. "What if she thinks I'm trying to pull something on her."

"So? I doubt she'll mind."

" _Cana_!"

"What? It'll be a win-win for everybody," her lips then twisted into a devilish smirk as she leaned closer to him. "And you know what they say about the quite ones…"

Without a warning, a very suggestive image of Juvia in a maid outfit, popped inside his brain.

Gray pushed Cana away from him as she laughed at his obvious discomfort, his face flaring up more than he ever thought it could.

"I _officially_ hate you," he muttered, looking down, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. As Cana continued to laugh at him, he wanted nothing more than to knock her off her chair. "Just shut up, and drink your booze."

"D'aww, I never thought I'd see the day where Gray would lose his cool over a pretty girl," she teased him, poking him in the arm.

"Keep it up, and I'm going to knock that drink out of your hand."

She rolled her eyes at him. " _Relax_ , I'm just teasing you," she retorted. "Besides, I'm really just trying to help you out."

"Well, _don't._ I don't need it. _"_

He looked down stubbornly at his drink, realizing how childish he was sounding. He then heard Cana release a small sigh.

"She's a nice girl, Gray, who for some reason, has taken an interest in you," she said to him in a more somber tone. "I just think you need that."

Suddenly, Lucy's words came to him.

" _Juvia has been through enough. She doesn't need any more pain."_

"Juvia doesn't _know_ any better," he snapped harshly at her. "And what I _need_ is a smoke."

He abruptly stood up from his stool and marched off, ignoring Cana's protest. He knew she was only trying to be a good friend, but he was tired of everyone around him trying to help him out like he was some sort of lost case.

Besides, sweet girls like Juvia deserved better than the horrible mess that he had become.

He was so caught up with his thoughts, that he failed to realize that he had just bumped straight into someone.

"Gray, are you alright?"

He looked up and found Mirajane staring at him, wearing a worried look on her pretty face.

"Hey, Mira," he told her, muttering an apology. "Cana was just getting under my skin."

"She tends to go overboard at times," Mirajane's lips formed into a dry smile. "But she means well."

A scoff escaped from Gray's mouth, and when he didn't respond, Mirajane then said, "I'm glad you were able to make it, I wasn't sure if I'd be seeing you here."

Yeah, and he was sure as hell starting to regret it.

"How are you holding up?"

Out of all their friends, Mirajane was the one everyone referred to as the _motherly_ one. It was her sweet demeanor and her unbiased personality that made her approachable to everybody. When Ur passed away, she took it upon herself to check up on Gray, even leaving him cooked meals the first couple of days, though he barely even touched them.

Gray humored Mirajane with a forced smile, shoving his hands in his front pockets.

"It's your party, I should be asking you that," he said to her. "But, I'm…coping. Thanks for asking, Mira."

"Anytime, Gray," she answered him, giving him a sweet smile.

"I'll be weird not having you around here."

"I'll just be across the street, but I do admit that I'll be a little strange not working here after so long," she simpered, lightly, placing a hand on her cheek. "But, I think we found a suitable replacement."

Her bright blue eyes held a certain twinkle in them, and Gray was pretty sure she was referring to Juvia.

"Anyways, enjoy yourself, Gray. I have to go deal with a handsy Bickslow that keeps hitting on my sister."

She gave him a light squeeze on the shoulder, before walking off.

Why does it seem like everyone is so eager for him to be with Juvia? Couldn't they just understand that he wanted to be alone?

Gray shook his head, his mouth curving into a grimace as he made his way to the back entrance that led outside to the patio. He was relieved when he saw that it was mostly empty, for the exception of a few people that were scattered among the patio.

He leaned on the wooden railing that followed into the patio, placing a cigarette on his lips. When he inhaled the toxins inside his lungs, he felt his body ease with relief.

"Gray-sama smokes?"

Gray turned around and found Juvia standing right behind him, wearing a curious look on her face.

Feeling slightly embarrassed, he dropped his cigarette out, putting out with the tip of his boot.

"Not really, I just recently picked it up since…well, since my step-mother passed away," he confessed to her, though he wasn't sure if he was ready to share that information with her yet.

He noticed that Juvia's eyes shifted to the side, looking slightly conflicted.

"Juvia overheard Loki-san mention that to Cana-san the other day. My condolences, Gray-sama," she placed a hand over her chest.

Gray's eyes became even more darker as he pressed his lips into a hard line. Was this all part of Cana's doing?

"Is that why you're here? Did Cana sent you out?" he inquired in a abrasive tone, balling up his fist.

His sharp tone made Juvia raised an eyebrow brow. "No, not at all. It was quite hot in there with all those people, so Juvia came-"

"You don't have to _lie_ , Juvia," he snapped at her.

She blinked several times before giving Gray a blank stare, that was followed with a wry smile.

"Juvia is sorry she disturbed you, Gray-sama," she said warmly, making something inside Gray stir with regret. "Enjoy the rest of your night."

She was already back inside, before his lips could even form a feeble apology, leaving him with a sinking feeling inside his chest.

He rubbed his face with both hands, releasing a frustrated groan, feeling like utter shit. What the hell was wrong with him? Juvia hadn't done anything wrong, and yet, he let himself lash out all of his frustration on her.

And for the first time, not only did Gray _not_ want to be left alone, but he longed for something else other than this hallow feeling, that kept consuming his vacant heart.

* * *

 **A/N: Poor conflicted, Gray. I won't make him suffer for long though, and there will definitely be more Gruvia in the next chapter!**

 **Drop a review and let me know what you guys think!**

 **Have a lovely week!**

 **Blueberrykisses.**


	4. Some Soup for the Soul

**I am the absolute worst! Sorry for the delay. Enjoy.**

 **Chapter 4: Some Soup for the Soul**

* * *

Juvia's lips curved into a small frown as she fixed her gaze on her half-written French essay that was filled with nothing but crossed-out scribbles, and random doodles. She had spent the last hour coming up with ideas that were idly hanging over her head, but every time she would reach for one, they would quickly disappear.

And she had no one but Gray Fullbuster to blame.

Earlier that week, both Juvia and Lucy had made the terrible mistake of agreeing to meet up at Lucy's apartment, the morning _after_ Mira's party to work on their essays, not keeping in mind the potential repercussions of a wild party.

Juvia released a small sigh, twirling her pencil with her fingers as her thoughts floated away from her schoolwork, and onto recollections from the night before, that included a certain raven-haired boy. One moment he was yelling at her, and the next, he was pulling her off to the dance floor.

Of course, by then, Gray was already pretty intoxicated, but she couldn't help but think about the way he grabbed her close to him, his chiseled body pressed against hers…

Juvia bit down on her lower lip, her entire body blaze with embarrassment as she tried to shake those thoughts from out of her brain. No one had ever made her feel this way, not even her ex. Was this even normal?

"Conjugating French words are a total nightmare, especially while hung-over. Do you mind checking my essay, Juvia?"

Startled, Juvia dropped her pencil as she looked over at a questioning Lucy, who was trying to hand her, her essay.

"Um, what?"

"I asked if you could check my essay," Lucy repeated, her eyebrows knitting together with concern. "You okay there?" her chocolate-brown eyes glanced over at Juvia's barely written paper.

"Er-Yes! Juvia is _so_ sorry," she replied, straightening her posture and grabbing the sheet of paper that was offered to her. "Juvia wasn't paying attention."

"I see. You've been spacy all morning, is everything okay?"

Juvia shifted her eyes down at Lucy's paper, though, not really paying attention to the words that were written on there.

"It's nothing really," but when Lucy gave her a pointed look, Juvia couldn't help but give in. " _Okay_ , there _is_ something that is bothering Juvia…it's about Gray-sama."

Lucy's forehead creased, leaning closer to Juvia. "Did he say anything weird to you?"

"No, it wasn't anything weird..."

" _Oh_!" Lucy gasped, clapping her hands with realization. "Was it the dancing and stripping? I'm sorry! I forgot to warn you about that! I _swear_ , Gray normally doesn't behave that way. He just tends to be a bit more loose when he's drunk."

Juvia released a small giggle. "No, no. It wasn't that. Something else happened before all of that…"

She then told Lucy about her earlier encounter with Gray, and how upset he had been with her.

"And Juvia _swears_ she wasn't try to pry!"

Lucy offered her a soft smile, placing a hand over Juvia's arm. "No, _I know,_ believe me," she told her. "I'm very sorry he acted that way with you, and when I see him, I'll make sure he'll hear it from me!"

"No, no! Juvia didn't say all this to get him in trouble. Juvia was just concerned, that's all."

Lucy sighed. "He'll be okay…I think. Gray is just having a hard time coping with the death of his step-mother, whom he was very close too."

"I see, that's what Juvia figured…and Juvia isn't angry at him, or anything," she clarified. "But…does Lucy-san think that he still might be upset with Juvia?"

Lucy crossed her arms over chest with a slight scoff. "I doubt it. Not with the way I saw him dancing with you last night," she gave Juvia a wink, and Juvia could have sworn she felt steam coming out of her ears.

"Which is why Juvia is _so_ confused!"

"Oh, don't worry. Gray is normally a laid-back, kind of guy. You just happen to catch him in a bad time," she gave her a reassuring smile. "Beside…I actually think he might have a thing for you."

Juvia nearly fell out of her chair. "What?!"

"Yeah, remember back at the café? He didn't exactly _tell me_ , but I've known Gray for quite a while to know when someone's caught his attention."

Juvia groaned. "Lucy-san! That's not very convincing…"

"But you don't know Gray like I do."

That fact, someone how annoyed Juvia. "Okay, what's your point?"

"Do you have a thing for Gray?"

If Juvia's face wasn't flushed before, it sure was now.

"Well …Juvia can't deny and say that she isn't attracted to-" her bright-blue eyes, then grew wide with realization. "Why? Does Lucy-san also find Gray-sama attractive?!"

Lucy's face immediately blanched at the suggestion, nearly falling out of her chair from shock.

"What? _Hell no!_ It's nothing like that! Gray is like brother to me," she half-yelled, looking at Juvia as if she were crazy.

Juvia eyed her suspiciously. "Juvia was just making sure…"

"Right…"Lucy then paused, wearing a dubious expression on her face, almost as if she were trying to figure out what words to say.

"I really do like the potential between the both of you… _but as your friend,_ and knowing everything that you've been through, I feel the need to tell you that Gray hasn't been in a serious relationship in almost two years," Lucy confessed. "Sure, he'll go on dates or whatever, but none of them are ever serious."

Juvia chewed on her lower lip, feeling let down by the revelation. "Oh," was all she uttered, before clearing her throat, and idly looking at Lucy's essay, trying not to look so disappointed.

"It's been hard for him to trust anyone since his last ex, Briar," Lucy explained. "She not only cheated on him, but after their break-up, she ended up hooking up with his brother."

Juvia looked up at Lucy so fast, she was surprise she didn't get whipped lashed. "She cheated, _and_ slept with his brother? That's terrible!"

"Yeah, it is," she nodded bitterly. "Which is why his outlook on relationships aren't so great right now."

"Well, Juvia can see _why._ "

Lucy sighed. "Please don't take this the wrong way, Juvia. For all I know, you could be the one that changes his mind!" her lips curved into an encouraging grin.

Juvia gave her a weak smile. She suddenly felt sluggish, her mind fogged up with all this new information.

"Cana-san failed to have mention any of this to Juvia," she muttered with a slight pout.

Lucy tilted her head with a raised brow. "Oh, playing cupid, is she?"

Juvia released a heavy sigh that she had kept in. "Yes," she muttered. "Cana-san asked Juvia to check on Gray-sama since she knew that Juvia was going to stop by Fairy Hills to turn in some paperwork."

"That's right! You told me you were getting an apartment at Fairy Hills, congrats!"

"Don't congratulate Juvia, just yet. She still hasn't moved in."

Lucy emitted a small chuckle. "Well, if you would have _told me_ how stressed out you were, I would have let you crashed here ages ago."

"Natsu-san had just moved in with you. There was no way that Juvia was going to ruin it all by being the third-wheel."

"He wouldn't have cared."

"Oh believe me, if Juvia was going to have to squeeze in between the two of you at night, then _yes_. Natsu-san, would have cared."

Lucy shrugged both shoulders. "We could have made him take the couch," she grinned.

"Right," Juvia gave her a doubtful look. "I'm sure Natsu-san would have definitely agreed to that."

They both fell into a fit of giggles.

Lucy leaned back on her chair, released a deep breath. "So, back to Gray. I'm not telling you to forget about him or anything. He's a great guy."

"Juvia has a feeling that there's a _but._ "

" _But_ , whether he believes it or not, he's an emotional mess right now, and when he's like that, he tends to stubbornly close up," Lucy told her. "He just needs a little patience, and well if you're interested, stick around."

"Good. I don't need you running off like last time," she gave her a firm look.

Juvia shook her head. "No, I think this time I'll stay." Juvia smiled at her.

And if it was patience that was all Gray needed, then Juvia would definitely stay.

* * *

After drinking his way through what felt like an entire bottle of whiskey, Gray woke up the next day, sprawled out on the floor of an apartment he knew wasn't his own.

 _What the actual_ _ **fuck**_ … A deep groan ripped through the back of his throat, as he turned over on his back, quickly shielding his dark eyes with the back of his hand, from the sunlight that came creeping through the blinds of the living room windows.

Where the _hell_ was he?

Gray slowly pushed himself off the floor and sat up, wincing at the sharp pain that surged furiously through his skull. For some reason, the left side of his head throbbed more painfully than the rest. He kept his eyes shut as he felt his head spin from his sudden movements, bile threatening to rise from the back of his throat.

 _Never again_ , he fumed bitterly as he sucked his breath in, wondering why on Earth he drank so much. He felt like shit.

Gray opened his eyes, blinking several times before taking a moment to inspect the apartment.

Coffee-colored sofas…random tarot cards…empty wine bottles – this was Cana's place, and by the looks of it, it didn't seem like anyone was home.

He let a sigh escape through his nostrils, as he leaned back on the sofa that was right behind him. The only time that Gray would crash at Cana's place would be if he had gotten blacked-out drunk at Fairy Tail the night before, and by the raging headache that he was nursing at the moment, it seemed to have been the case.

His face screwed up into a frown as he tried to recollect his memories form the night before. He _definitely_ remembered Cana's obnoxious pestering…his small talk with Mira…and then…

 _Juvia._

Unsettling guilt gnawed the pit of his stomach as flashbacks of him lashing out on the bluenette, plagued his thoughts.

It wasn't Juvia's fault that Cana had put him in a shit mood that evening. He had no right to lash out on the poor girl, especially since he didn't even know her.

Gray sighed, rubbing his eyes tiredly. He became defensive and brash, assuming that Cana had sent Juvia out there to pry on his business, after all it wouldn't be the first time Cana pulled a stunt like this on him.

However, the look in Juvia's eyes after he had yelled at her told him otherwise, only furthering his remorse.

His mouth twisted into a sideways frown. He felt like everyone was suffocating him with pity, coddling him, as if he were to break down any minute. Why couldn't Cana and the rest just let him deal his problems on his own? Why did they feel like he needed to be set up with someone?

He was perfectly satisfied with being alone. Or at least, that's what he had convinced himself. Besides, given on what he's been through, she didn't deserve someone like him.

After his encounter with Juvia, the last thing that he could remember was going back inside, and wallowed down his sorrows with more whiskey. Everything else was just a blur.

With his head still pounding, Gray closed his eyes as he released a deep sigh, placing his hands over his lap. He lost track on how long he stayed there, but after a while, he felt his head jerked upwards when he heard a pair of keys jingling outside the door as it swung right open.

" _Oh_! Um…Good-afternoon, Gray-sama."

Gray's eyes went wide, quickly recognizing that voice as his gaze fell on a certain bluenette.

He drew his eyebrows together, feeling confused as he saw her greeting him with both hands covering her face.

He gave himself a once-over. That's right. He was half-naked.

Gray quickly scrabbled off the ground, nearly falling in the process, as he reached for his pants and shirt that were laying haphazardly on top of the couch.

"Juvia is _so_ sorry! She should have knocked! But, Cana-san told Juvia it was fine if she just went in…"

Gray's face tightened into a grimace. Of course she did.

"No, – It's fine, Juvia. I should have been dressed already," he said, then paused. "Although, not to be rude, but what are you doing here?"

With both hands still covering her eyes, she then said, "W-well, Juvia had told Cana-san that she was heading to Fairy Hills to turn in some paperwork, and Cana-san asked if I could check up on you." And Gray couldn't help but quirk his lips into a small smirk, finding her embarrassment over him kind of cute.

He tugged his shirt over his head. "You can go ahead, and look."

Juvia brought her hands down from her face, and gave him a shy smile. "Cana-san wanted to make sure that Gray-sama didn't - um… choke on his own vomit."

Gray gave out a snort, making his way over towards her. "How thoughtful."

"Those last words were Cana-san's, not mine," she said with a chuckle, making her way over towards the kitchen. She then pulled out a small container from her tote bag, and places it on top of the kitchen table.

"After last night, Juvia figured that you might have woken up a bit hung-over, so Juvia brought you some soup," she said. "It's chicken broth with veggies. Juvia hopes that's okay."

He felt himself shift uncomfortably as an overwhelming feeling of gratitude washed over his chest. Even after being a huge ass to her, she still manages to go out of her way to be nice to him.

"Juvia…" was all his brain could produce. "You…You didn't have to do that."

The corner of her mouth formed into small smile. "Juvia wanted too," she answered simply. "Now, do you know where Cana-san keeps her bowls?"

She doesn't wait for him to answer her, and instead, walks over to the cupboards, in search for a bowl.

Why was she so nice to him after he basically ran her off last night? Did she just feel sorry for him like everyone else?

"Why?"

Juvia looked over her shoulder, wearing a puzzled expression on her face. "Sorry?" she then turns around to face him. "Does Gray-sama not like veggie soup? Juvia should have-"

"Why go outta your way to bring me soup after I was such an ass to you last night?" he questioned her, his tone coated with disbelief, though not sounding harsh.

She shook her head. "Juvia doesn't understand-"

"I mean, _you barely know me_ ," he tried to reason, though at this point, he seemed to be talking to himself, rather than her. "If you're doing this out of pity-"

"I'm _not._ "

Juvia looked up at him with a firm look on her face. She then releases a small sigh, her blue eyes softening.

"Juvia knows and understand the pain of losing a loved one," her blue sapphires sink in with his onyx ones. "We get consumed with different ranges of emotion, some we don't quite understand..."

"Some days you think you're fine, that you're handling it all well. Other days will feel like you're not in sync with reality, and feel like you just want to die. Juvia knows how overwhelming theses feelings can be, how they're not always so easy to process…"

She trails off with a solemn expression etched on her face, her gaze zeroing down into the bowl in her hands.

Gray felt himself swallow a deep lump that had unknowingly formed in his throat. She had perfectly described everything that he felt the last couple of weeks, and he didn't know whether that comforted him or scared the living shit out of him.

Silence consumes them both, though it didn't feel awkward between them.

"I'm sorry," he finally said, watching her brows knitted together, looking confused. "For you to say that, you must speak from experience," he explained.

She shifted her gaze to the side. "Unfortunately," she offered him a faint smile and nothing more.

After a moment, Gray cleared his throat.

"Look, I'm sorry about last night," he apologized, rubbing the back of his neck. "Cana had been giving me shit all night about-" he then stopped himself, feeling a blush linger on his cheeks. "Doesn't matter. The point is, she's a _pain._ "

"It's all forgiven," she waved her free hand dismissively, setting the bowl down on the table. "Besides, Juvia has learned that Cana-san can be quite… _persistent,_ at times."

Gray snorted. " _Persistent_ doesn't even begin to cover it," he told her. "So, we're good now?"

"Yes," Juvia beamed him a wide smile, and he didn't fail to notice the rosy hue on her cheeks. "Juvia would even daresay that we're friends."

He smirked. "I would hope so, seeing as you're already friends with my friends," he pointed out. " _That,_ and we did just have a heart-to-heart."

"Well," she said, her eyes glancing up at the ceiling. "Then as your friend, Juvia should inform you that- well- Gray-sama's zipper is down."

Gray's eyes went wide as he look down, muttering a curse.

"Juvia swears that she didn't mean to, um, _look_ down there."

 _There she goes again, looking all frazzled,_ he thought.

"Right," he throws her a wolf-ish grin.

"In Juvia's defense, it's hard not to notice when you're wearing dark-washed jeans with bright pink boxers," she giggled, and he could have sworn he felt knots form in his stomach.

He blamed it on his hang-over.

"They're _dark red_."

"That's not what Juvia saw."

She then took a couple stops towards him, titling her head to her side, making his breath hitch. "And as your new friend and all, Juvia should also inform you that you have a giant bruise on your temple," she stepped back and turned around, walking over to the fridge. "Cana-san wouldn't mind if we grabbed some ice, would she?"

Gray didn't answer her. What was she doing to make him feel this way?

"No ice, but Juvia found a bag of frozen peas," she then motioned him to sit down, as she gently patted the bag on his left temple.

He winced at the sharp pain. "Did I get this last night?"

She nibbled on her bottom lip, withdrawing her hand as she surveyed his face. "Does Gray-sama not remember what happened last night?"

Gray thought back but couldn't seem to recall anything that could have caused him to have a huge bruise on his head.

"No, after _our encounter_ , I went back and had a few shots. After that, I started to black out," he answered, and the amused look on Juvia' face, started to make him feel a bit uneasy. "What? Did I get in a brawl with Natsu, or something?"

"Er- no, Erza-san punched you."

Gray scoffed, clicking his teeth with his tongue. So that's why his head felt like it was about to explode.

"Shit, must have acted up for her to punch me. What did I do? It's usually Natsu that she's throwing jabs at."

"Umm well, Gray-sama _did_ throw-up on Erza-san's shoes," she look down at the froze pea bag.

Well that explained that tasted of throw-up that was dangling in the back of his throat.

He groaned loudly. "And you were there to see that?"

Her sympathetic smile seemed to have answered his question.

"Oh, God," he rubbed his face with both hands, feeling more than embarrassed. "I'm afraid to ask what else I did."

Juvia gave him the frozen bag, simpering lightly. "Well, you asked Juvia to dance, _which we did,_ " she answered bashfully, though Gray could see she was trying to fight it off. "And then-"

"No way, I _don't_ dance."

"You did last night," her bright blue eyes sparkled over at him. And Gray-sama is quite the dancer."

Despite the rise of heat on his face, he tried to remain composed. "You're lying."

"If Juvia isn't mistaken, Cana-san may have recorded some of it."

Gray groaned. "Great. Just what I need. Black-mail from _Cana_ , out of all people," he grumbled miserably. "Look, I know you think that I'm so weirdo who can't handle his liquor, but I don't normally act this way."

A chuckle escaped from her lips. "For someone who seems so… _serious_ , it was a nice surprise to see you act this way. Juvia found it rather endearing."

He offered her a weak smile. "Is there anyway you could forget about last night?"

She crossed her arms over her chest, wearing a smirk. "Not a chance," she told him. "Well as much as Juvia would love to stay and chat, she has to get going. There's some paperwork for Fairy Tail that she still needs to turn in."

That's right _,_ Gray thought back. She was apartment hunting.

"So you're moving into, Fairy Hills? That's pretty cool. Good luck having Cana as a neighbor," he snorted.

Juvia laughed. "Cana-san isn't so bad."

"You underestimate her." He snorted. "We're talking about a girl who has me on video, drunk and half-naked, with vomit all over my face."

"Well, you didn't exactly make it hard on her," she teased. "Anyways, Juvia should really get going."

"Yeah, um. Thanks for the soup," he scratched the back of his head. "Let me know if need help moving, it's the least I can do after being a huge jerk."

She gave him a sideway glance.

"Since you know, Cana had already offered up my services to you anyways."

She chuckled. "That's right. Well here," she pulled out a pen and paper. "Is my number. Text Juvia when you feel all better, and Juvia will give you the details."

She then gave him a smile, making her way to the doorway. "I'll see you around, Gray-sama."

And he couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed from her leaving. "Yeah, see you," he smiled at her.

And Gray couldn't help but noticed that his hang-over was completely gone, and he was left wondering whether had to do with Juvia…

* * *

 **AN: Special thanks to xJuvia3 & Liraz Nightray, and all those who alerted and favorited this story! You guys are the best!**

 **It might have some mistakes, I didn't have time to look it over and I'll be gone out for the weekend. I'll look over this when I come back!**

 **Hope you guys enjoyed the Gruvia bit.**

 **Have a lovely weekend**

 **-Blueberrykisses.**


End file.
